Shuso Koutankai

The “Shuso Koutankai” is a celebration of the day on which Nichiren Shonin was born.

Nichiren Shonin was born in Kominato, Awa, in what is now Chiba Prefecture, on February 16, 122, to his father, Jiro Shigetada, and his mother, Umekiku.
It is said that when Nichiren Shonin was born, three strange things (three miracles) occurred.

The first was that an untimely profusion of blue lotus flowers bloomed in the sea at Awa Kominato.

The second, a large school of sea breams came to the harbor of Awa with their scales shining.

The third, a spring gushed forth from the garden of the maternity house where the child was born.

It is said that the first time the “Kabuki” was held was in the year 1900.

In addition, Nichiren Shonin was born on the day after February 15, the day of Buddha’s Nirvana, which is truly a strange coincidence.

He was especially convinced that the Lotus Sutra was the only teaching that could save sentient beings of the Latter Day of the Law, and he devoted his life to the propagation of the Buddhist chanting of “Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo” (Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo).